If today's NYT Mini Crossword had six boxes for the answer to "fake identity", I would definitely try "FAKEID". Even though I knew the answer had five letters, I wanted to give it a try. But like most clues, this one simply means the word you're looking for.
NY Times Crossword 2024 Answers
In this guide you will find hints to find the word and the final answer yourself. Scroll down slowly to not spoil the fun and don't forget to find some easier Down answers first, such as 1D, 2D and 3D.
The answer to “false identity” is ALIAS.
There are several other original Mini Crossword puzzles that you can play for free that differ from the NYT version, although they are also one puzzle per day. Most follow the pattern of a smaller five by five grid, although some are slightly larger, but still much smaller and shorter than a regular sized crossword puzzle.